Director and actor Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, were found dead on Sunday at a Los Angeles home owned by Reiner, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, said investigators believe the two suffered stab wounds.

A family member is being questioned in connection with the case.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid call shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman dead inside the residence. Reiner turned 78 in March.

Detectives from the Robbery-Homicide Division are investigating what police described as an “apparent homicide” at the home, according to Los Angeles Police Department Captain Mike Bland.

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Authorities have not officially confirmed the identities of the victims found at the residence in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood on the city’s west side, an area home to many celebrities.

Reiner was one of Hollywood’s most prolific directors, responsible for some of the most iconic films of the 1980s and 1990s, including This Is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally, and The Princess Bride.

He first rose to fame as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on Norman Lear’s groundbreaking 1970s television series All in the Family, starring alongside Carol O’Connor. The role earned him two Emmy Awards.

The Lear family said they were devastated by the news, noting the close bond between Reiner and the late television producer, who died in 2023.

“Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary,” the family said in a statement. “Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place through their art, activism, philanthropy, and love for family and friends.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called Reiner’s death a devastating loss.

“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture,” Bass said.

“He improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy for social and economic justice.”

The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, married photographer Michele Singer Reiner in 1989.

They met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally and had three children together. Reiner was previously married to filmmaker Penny Marshall.

Violent crimes are rare in Brentwood. The scene is about a mile from the home where Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were killed in 1994.